What if women never had to give birth to their own wombs? Or how would it be if you had your very own child within 9 months of submitting your sperm and egg to the hospital? Even without the help of a woman's womb! As unlikely as it sounds, there is a lot of research going on right now about this test tube baby, so it wouldn't be surprising if it happens in the near future.
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| Test Tube Baby |
What is a test tube baby?
Babies born through the use of in vitro fertilization technology (IVF) are called test tube babies. Basically they grow as fetuses in artificial womb instead of mother's womb.
In 2017, a group of American researchers were able to keep extremely pre-mature fetuses alive with a bag of amniotic fluid. On the other hand, in 2020, Israeli scientists were able to develop rat embryos into fetuses by placing them in an artificial womb.
Doctors have already succeeded in keeping 22-week premature babies alive using artificial wombs. Claire Horne comments in her book 'Eve',
"We are moving very quickly to create an external pregnancy in an artificial womb."
Claire Horne claims that, "When the above two processes are combined, we will achieve the process of ectogenesis, which was named by biologist JBS HALDEN in 1923 and is also known as external gestation."
History of In Vitro Fertilization Technology (IVF):
Many may wonder how it is possible to give birth to an embryo in an artificial womb! But scientists made this impossible long ago. In IVF technology, eggs are collected from the ovaries of the woman. The egg is then fertilized with sperm in a laboratory dish to create an embryo. It is important to note that IVF technology is only capable of producing embryos. So earlier after the formation of the embryo in IVF method it had to be transplanted into the mother's womb for the next 9-10 months. In order to artificially give birth to this human child, the process of ectogenesis is needed.
What is ectogenesis?
The concept of developing a human embryo outside the female body, i.e. in an artificial environment, such as an incubator, is called ectogenesis. That is, in this method, without the womb of a woman, it is possible to give birth to a full-fledged human child only through eggs and sperm!
How ectogenesis works:
First, with IVF technology, embryos are developed using sperm and eggs. The embryo is then placed in an artificial environment, such as an incubator. There is a tube system exactly like amara through which nutrients and oxygen are supplied to the fetal body. Things like temperature, humidity are also very carefully controlled in the artificial environment. Through this, an environment similar to the mother's womb is created for the development of the fetus. As the fetus grows, the fetus is closely monitored to ensure there are no complications in the fetus. When the fetus reaches a certain stage of physical development, the baby is delivered by cesarean section or other medical procedure.
Positive impact of ectogenesis on society and motherhood:
In our society, many couples around us are not able to give birth to children due to physical complications. Ectogenesis will be a blessing in their life. In this process, they will be able to give birth in an artificial environment in the process of ectogenesis by only donating sperm and eggs. Premature births can be prevented if human babies are born in an artificial environment in the process of ectogenesis. As a result, many health complications of children can be easily avoided. Every year many mothers die in childbirth. Ectogenesis can ensure the safety of both mother and child.
Negative impact of ectogenesis on society and motherhood:
Procreation of human babies by the process of ectogenesis may be questioned by various societies and nations. Many may also question the ethical nature of the ectogenesis process. Again it can be called against nature and inhuman. A child raised in an artificial womb may not be accepted by the society. The child and the child's family may experience social stigmatization. Ectogenesis can result in the imbalance of male and female normal gender roles. And on the other hand women may be socially inhibited from giving birth in a normal way. The traditional bond and love between mother and child is likely to be eroded. Childbearing is likely to become a business at some point, and human children will be treated as commodities. The process can be very expensive. Everything actually has some pros and cons. However, if the test tube baby is successfully born as a result of the ectogenesis process, it will create a stir in the entire world. It will be a unique milestone for medical science and scientists. And this ectogenesis process and test tube baby will put a smile on the faces of many childless couples.
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